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It's a fact of life when you have Shih-Tzus - they get mats. It doesn't matter how often you wash them or brush them, they're going to have mats. So what do you do?

I used to try brushing them out but this is very time consuming and sometimes doesn't really work no matter how hard you try. I did go to the pet store and pay $18 for a little rounded contraption called a "mat remover" that you place in the mat and slowly work up through the fur...the little razor-like insides are supposed to cut through the mat. It works better than a brush, but it's still time consuming and we all know what it's like to get our Shih-Tzus to sit still while we're doing this...next to impossible.

This evening I gave the boys a bath. Little Rocki has some mats...his hair is longer since I didn't have him cut after he got out of the hospital (when he had Parvo) because they had to shave some areas where he had blood tests and the intravenous and I wanted to wait until…

For some reason, people seem to think that frequent baths are not good for dogs. Perhaps some poor animal who got washed with laundry detergent and cold water from a hose started the rumor...who knows? In any event, bathing is a good thing. And yes, you can do it once a week. I certainly do...even though my boys are not too happy with me at bath time, it is a different story when they're nice and clean. Their whole attitude changes...they are happier, livelier and far more rambuncious. Always use a shampoo formulated for dogs, however, pay attention after the bath to their reaction. Our oldest dog has always had sensitive skin. After experimenting with a few shampoos, I ended up going back to puppy shampoo which helped a lot. However, my best find, and the shampoo I'm using now, is an Oatmeal shampoo (with some Awapuhi moistuizer thrown in for good measure!). Sometimes it's a bit of hit and miss, but you will find a shampoo that works with your dog.Use lukewarm water, bein…

I just read this news story and it really made me wonder why people get dogs if they are afraid that the dog may do something on their carpet. Well, here's the reality check. Even if you bother training them (which some people don't...the dogs are simply expected to know that the carpet is valuable), your pets are still going to slip up from time to time. In the case of a Shih-Tzu, they will inadvertantly pee and poo on your floor or carpet if they are scared or highly stressed, and they will intentionally do their business in the house if you piss them off. In the latter case, when you catch them they will look at you as if to say "yea...so what are you going to do about it?".